A Cold Day
by the ostracized
Summary: While caring for two sick recruits in New Orleans, Rogue starts to finally open up to the world around her, and discover new parts of it.
1. Break Out the Advil

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, Marvel owns them and has all rights to said characters  
  
Chapter 1: Break out the Advil  
  
Through the richly decorated halls of Xavier's School for Gifted Children a chorus of coughing and sneezing and pitiful moans floated into the ears of the only mutant not stricken with flu-like symptoms. Rogue groaned for the millionth time as the princess down the hall continued to whine at a rate that was unusual even for her.  
"Amara, shut up, it's just the damn flu, if Ah hear you so much as whimper one more time Ah'm gonna kick you three ways from Sunday!!!!!," she screamed, her southern drawl hidden by the ear splitting volume.  
Suddenly, the whining and pitiful moans stopped, down the hall someone muffled a particularly nasty cough into a pillow.  
For one sweet moment there was dead silence throughout the mansion as the students temporarily cowered beneath their tissues as extra blankets.  
"Ewwwww......Bobby! Don't cough into my pillow, that is, like, so disgusting!!"  
The valley girl from Illinois had broken the spell.  
Cursing to herself, Rogue decided to go to the one place in the mansion that wasn't invested with germs, the danger room.  
She suited up in her new uniform, black, with a trench coat. She had gotten the idea from one of the Acolytes, the one with the sexy satanic eyes. She could use the pockets for a variety of items that she could use when she couldn't get skin-on-skin. Logan had suggested some throwing knives and stars, but the professor wouldn't let her have the stars. Something about giving Kurt a haircut with them managed to reach his ears. Either way, the knives worked pretty well, they weren't sharp enough to do any real damage but they were heavy enough to disorient her opponents or disable some of their own weapons.  
As she pulled her auburn locks up into a ponytail she headed out her bedroom door, toward some nice laser guns and robots bent on destroying her.  
This was supposed to be better then listening to the rest of the X- men sneeze all over the place?  
  
r/r!!!!! 


	2. An Intrusion of Lilacs

Disclaimer: Once again, these characters belong to Marvel, except in the case of the only mentioned Jake, which is a character from Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.  
  
The danger room proved to be a great stress reliever. Rogue never knew she could use the meditation that Logan had taught her to visualize the faceless robots were her whining team mates.  
Then again the illusions were usually broken when one of the said robots would send a laser or some sharp object at her. Well unless she was visualizing Scooter or Logan.  
Tramping back up the stairs to her room Rogue realized one positive point to everyone being sick-free shower.  
After she stripped down and wrapped herself in her favorite terry cloth midnight blue robe she headed into the bathroom with some of Kitties bath beads and her a new novel that she had picked up from the second hand book store.  
Normally she wouldn't have bothered with anything that didn't involve some sort of violent death scenes by the hands of mythical creatures, but this book seemed to call to her. The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway.  
The romance angle was so horribly real to her, seeing as how the main character couldn't indulge in many of the things that she couldn't either because of her mutation.  
Slowly Rogue drifted into the oversized bathtub, the bath beads giving the air a sweet perfume that had an intoxicating affect on her.  
She slowly, absentmindedly flipped the page, without really reading what was happening to Jake on his lovely vacation.  
  
Rogue walked through the charming countryside, admiring the fragrant blossoms of lilacs that decorated the path. The stunning purples reminded her of some of her trademark outfits and make up, which in turn reminded her of the skin that she had to hide behind her trademark fashions. The deadly skin, that she had been cursed with.  
She had driven up a facade, to hide the loneliness that would have been evident in her emerald eyes.  
Suddenly, she felt a slight pressure on her shoulder, she looked down to her darker auburn locks mixing in with her own auburn and white hair. While she was distracted, a pair of arms slipped around her waist, pulling her back, she felt a lean muscular body against her own.  
Although she couldn't see his lips begin to move, she clearly identified the accent that issued forth.  
"You know, Cherie, Remy love you f'ever even if he can' be wit you."  
The words were both sweet and hurtful, as they reminded her she was both loved and alone. She tried to block out the feelings by focusing on the strong scent of lilac that permeated the air around her and her distant love.  
  
Water coming into her body where air should have been woke Rogue up from her dazed nap. The lilac scented water trickled around, burning her throat. She began hacking and coughing to try to get it out of her system.  
  
*Rogue, don't tell me you're sick too*  
  
The Professors telepathic message rang in Rogue's brain. *No, Ah'm just trying to breathe is all!!*  
  
She managed to yell back through the brainwaves.  
  
*Good, then please report to my office as soon as possible, I have a special assignment for you*  
  
"If it ain' freaky enough that an old bald guy is talkin' to me in the shower, he's gotta completely ignore the strangled gaspin' for breath." The southern bell shouted as she slipped back into her warm robe, and put her book on the counter to dry, seeing as how she had dropped part of if in the water during her little escapade in dream land.  
  
r/r! I apoligize profusely for the short chapters, hopefully I will have my mind about my in the future and will be able to create a piece of work that has a greater lifespan. 


	3. Operation Babysitter

Disclaimer: I do not own these wonderful characters, Marvel has that honor.  
  
The Professor was concentrating on a stack of papers before him, occasionally using a pen to jot down a signature or comment. However, he didn't need to see the curvaceous silhouette that walked through his office doors, or the white streaks that gave off a halo effect as the light from behind flooded around them to know that it was Rogue. The sudden presence of irritation allowed him to know exactly which student it was. Not to mention the fact he had called her in for a special mission.  
"Rogue, thank you for joining me, as I mentioned before I would like to assign you a special mission. This assignment may be different from what you are used to." The professor didn't even look up until he mentioned that it was a different mission.  
What he saw was a look of apprehension. Rogue wasn't quite as naive and hopeful and some as his other students.  
"Well, Ah guess yah might as well tell me what it is 'fore I die of excitement."  
Young Rogue was so sarcastic Xavier thought to himself.  
"Well, given the current situation of having a school full of ill students, I find that something must be done to stop the spread of germs, so I have decided to have the mansion throughly cleaned and equipped with a more advanced ventilation system, and of course while this happens, I don't think it would be wise for any students to be here, and whereas some of them can be temporarily moved back home during the procedure, two of our ill team cannot and so-"  
"Uh, uh, Ah don' think Ah very much like where this is goin' professor, Ah think I left the oven on, Ah better go check and make sure, ya know ya don' want Kurt to accidently teleport too near it in his sleep!" Rogue started backing away towards the door as she tried to avoid the inevitable.... "Rogue I would like you to take care of Jamie and Amara while the mansion is being equipped, Amara can not risk the separation from the ground in her condition, and I do not wish to send Jamie away from the protection that you can give him, as he doesn't have adequate control of his powers."  
"Professor! How am Ah supposed ta take care of a bunch a sick kids! Ah can't even touch to check their fever, Ah ain't a momma, the only mama Ah ever knew is a damn terrorist, ya can't expect me ta be able to put up with the princess, and Ah don't care how cute he is, every time he sneezes Jamie makes at least five copies of 'imself!!!"  
"I must protest, I believe it will be a good chance for you to grow closer to your fellow teammates and also learn some new skills." The professor argued with such a level headed manner it drove Rogue even crazier. She was about ready to pound the door in. Or preferably tear it off its hinges as use it to knock some sense into the Mr. Clean head in front of her.  
"Rogue, you know that violence wouldn't help you, and before you argue anymore I only have one thing to say- If Logan can handle all of you, then you can absolutely handle two students."  
Rogue obviously had no response as she began to open and close her mouth like a fish trying to breathe out of water.  
"Now I need to finish filling out these papers so that you will have a place to stay, after all you will be gone for at least a month, and I would like to be able to send you somewhere nice, so please go start packing your things and do try to collect yourself in the meantime."  
With that, Rogue turned around and stomped out the door, slamming it behind her. It wasn't until half way back up the stairs that a thought hit her. Where exactly was the professor planning on sending her?  
  
r/r! This will, eventually, be a Romy! I apoligize for the short chapters, but I will try to make it up by frequently updating! 


	4. Contemplations and Near Confrontations

Disclaimer: I still don't own these, characters, and Marvel still does.  
  
Although with each step she took a new question formed in her mind, Rogue dutifully traveled back to her room to begin packing.  
She opened her closet doors and was met with a sea of black, green and purple. Mesh tops and scarves adorned multiple hangers.  
Rogue absent mindedly began throwing these necessities onto her bed to be stuffed in a suitcase later. They were followed by short skirts and low-cut shirts.  
Briefly, Rogue paused to contemplate why she insisted on wearing such clothing, when the need to cover the clothes with see-through fabric just reminded her of her damn mutation.  
However, she quickly pushed such angst-ridden philosophy to the back of her mind for the moment. Instead she focused on her anger at having to watch Jamie and Amara.  
Why couldn't they go home with another student? Perfect Jean could convince her parents to watch them! It wasn't above her to convince them to do it with her powers either.  
Why didn't Hank, Ororo, Logan or the Professor watch them? Well to be fair, Professor Xavier couldn't really get around by himself to buy groceries and medicine, and either could Hank, even though he was a doctor. Logan probably wouldn't be making sure Jamie had enough Orange Juice either...but what about Storm? She was all maternal and caring.  
A large sneeze came from the floor below, and it was followed by a rain of heavy objects slamming into walls. Oh yeah, Storm had to make sure Evan didn't accidently impale someone.  
Damn it all to hell! Rogue still wasn't fit for mothering, and if she couldn't see Logan filling up a cup of OJ, then she couldn't see herself doing it either. She should have thought to tell that to the Professor earlier.  
And where the hell were they going anyway??  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Even with her angry thoughts and questions floating through her head, Rogue managed to pack an adequate supply of clothes in various bags in record time. She figured she wouldn't need much else, the Professor usually took care of practical stuff like pillows and shampoo. All she needed to do was pack up all her various cosmetics and she would be set to go.  
She dug through her closet to find a small bag, and finally came up victorious with the bag she used to keep some of her art supplies in before she got a better one.  
Gathering it up, she walked into the bathroom. It was pretty steamy for some reason, the mirror was all fogged up. She put her bag down and first put the small bottle of make-up remover she owned into it. Then she bent down to reach the drawer that held all of her dark eyeshadow and lipsticks. When she opened it however, she found a surprise. It was entirely empty. She pulled the drawer completely out of the cabinet and searched in each corner, then she looked in the empty hole that it left. When she found nothing, she rapidly pulled out all the other drawers. All she saw was the pinks and blues that Jean and Kitty usually used. The thought of them immediately caused Rogue to believe that they must have stolen her make-up. She looked into the foggy mirror to see the anger in her eyes, but she was met with another surprise that she hadn't noticed before.  
In the fog of the mirror someone had wrote:  
"Cherie, you look so much prettier without your mask"  
She only knew one person north of the Mason-Dixon line that mixed french and English like that.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Professor!!!! Professor!!! I think Magneto's goons have invaded the building!" Rogue ran to the Professors office and came in without knocking for the second time that day.  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"A little message that could only be from that demon-eyed Cajun of his!"  
  
The professor closed his eyes as he did a quick mental scan of the institute grounds.  
  
"I do believe you're right Rogue, I sense two Acolytes in the foyer, the ones known as Gambit and Pyro." The professor had a slight tone of distress in his voice as he knew that he and Rogue were the only healthy X- Men in the mansion.  
  
Without another word he began to head towards the foyer, with Rogue following closely behind him, peeling her gloves off as she went.  
  
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story so far! I truly appreciate it, and I will keep updating (like a bunny on crack) and I promise to have some crazy amounts of Romy soon! 


	5. Acceptance, Thank you Pyro

Disclaimer: Marvel owns the characters, not me!  
  
Sure enough, when Rogue arrived with the professor in the foyer, she was met with a pair of demonic eyes, and a flaming orange haired Australian.  
"So nice of you to join us, cherie, I needed more company then this fou homme, and what could be better then such a belle fille?"  
  
"Save it Gumbo, I ain't in the mood, ya know your little game ain't that funny, where'd ya hide my stuff ya damn thief." Rogue shot back quickly, even if his eyes were captivating, some of the stunts he pulled annoyed her to no ends.  
  
After Rogue had referred to Gambit as a southern food, the Aussie pyro started cracking up. "Listen to that mate, Gumbo, I like it, that's your new name then, Gumbo!"  
  
"If Gambit here you call him dat then he make you into Gumbo, personally." Gambit pressed the end of his bo staff against his friends neck, causing him to choke enough to stop laughing.  
  
"Bloody 'ell! Just a joke is all, you people always got such tempers."  
  
"Shut up ya wombat, Ah think it's about tahme that ya all explained what ya doin' here, 'fore Ah find out for mahself." As she spoke Rogue began calling attention to her extremely bare hands by cracking her fingers in a menacing way that she must have learned from the Wolverine.  
  
"Now dat is a good name for ya mon ami, wombat, de cherie is good, I wonder what else she be good at?" As usual, Gambit managed to fit in sexual innuendo into the most innocent of conversations, assuming you call a threat to absorb ones life force an innocent topic.  
  
Finally the Professor chose to interject his thoughts and stop the bickering of the younger generation before him. "If I may ask, why exactly are you two at my institute? Does Magnus have a message for me? Or dare I hope that you have chosen to give up his violent ways for a more peaceful approach?"  
  
"Well it's really funny why we're here mate, it all started when we though Sabertooth had finally started coughin' up hair balls..."  
  
After a few minutes of Pyro's full length tale, his Cajun companion shut him up with a swift knock to the back of his head with his trusty bo staff.  
  
"It's about time ya shut him up, Ah thought we might be here for hours." Rogue by this time had taken to sitting on the stairs, abandoning her fighting position, as had Gambit who leaned casually against the wall.  
  
"Any ting for you cherie"  
"Shut ya own mouth swamp rat."  
  
Seeing where this was going, the Professor once again stepped in.  
"Well, if Magnus and Sabertooth are indeed afflicted with the same disease that seems to hunt my mansion, as young St. John here has, so...carefully explained, then I do believe it is most imperative that myself and Dr. McCoy research this disease more carefully, to make sure that it is not a new anti-mutant threat." Turning to Gambit he continued, "Please inform my old friend that we will use his facilities to research this further, as my own mansion is being updated, and do make sure you take him with you." He referred to the pyromaniac on the floor who was slowly regaining consciousness.  
However, when he was still muttering vaguely about a lighter fluid, a cough from the balcony above startled the small group, causing them to turn to the origin of the sound.  
It was Amara, dressed in her favorite flame colored night dress, with matching slippers. Her normally perfect hair was tangled and knotted in various places, and her whole complexion had faded to a color even paler then Rogue. She started hacking some more.  
"Proff...*cough, cough* ...essor, I need *cough, cough, cough* medicine."  
  
"Of course Amara, Rogue could you please get some from the-"  
  
"My lit'tel flame, what is wrong, oh my lit'tel flame, you are sick, oh god, my lit'tel flame is DYING, someone call an ambulance, my lit'tel flame!" As soon as he had reclaimed consciousness, Pyro ran up the stairs screaming, and interrupting the professor in mid direction. He threw himself at Amara's feet, "Oh my Mara, my flame, I'll make you better! Where's my lighter! Let me light your fire!"  
Sensing the possibility of an accidently arson, Gambit had stolen dear Pyro's lighter while he was out, so luckily nothing was burned, although Amara's skin would have been able to handle the heat, the rug underneath her feet wouldn't have.  
"Um...that's ok *cough, cough, cough* I'm not dying..." Suddenly Amara's flair for the dramatic ignited "...or am I? Am I *cough, cough* dying? I can not die, I am a princess! I can not die!"  
"'Course not love, just cause all these buggers can't take care of you, don't mean I can't! I'll take you down under, it's plenty hot there, love, we'll get you all rosy and flamy again while your 'ouse is being built back up!"  
Upon Pyro's declaration that he would watch over Amara, Rogue's eyes had opened wide as a series of images involving melted Advil and burning boxes of tissues rolled through her head, suddenly she wasn't so angry about having to watch Amara anymore.  
"Down, flame boy, Ah'm in charge of 'Mara, so ya keep ya wombat ass ova there."  
After delivering her own declaration, Rogue took a moment to contemplate the fact that she had just voluntarily declared herself patron of Amara. Sighing, she turned to go get some cough medicine. This was going to be a long month, if Pyro insisted on following his 'lit'tel flame' around....well around where ever the hell they were going!  
Speaking of following around, Rogue suddenly felt the strange sensation of being wrapped in someone's arms, "Don't worry cherie, da man of yo' dreams is here."  
The Cajun had no idea how right he was.  
  
I continue to be thankful for the reviews! I'm sorry, I feel like I am taking forever to get some decent Romy up for you all, and there will be some more Amyro! 


	6. Paperwork

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel characters, because of course Marvel does!  
  
She was packed. Amara was packed. After several loads of laundry and folding, Jamie was packed. They had socks, they had Tylenol, and they had winter scarves and suntan lotion. After all, they still had no idea where they were headed, and had to prepared for all climates.  
Rogue "borrowed" Jean's telekinesis to float the luggage into the trunk of one of the institute's SUVs. She would never know seeing as how she was sleeping for once. Rogue figured she was doing Jeannie a favor, after all with the sickness she hadn't been able to get a good nights rest for awhile. Now she would. Everyone was happy. Especially Rogue since she had learned the Professor hadn't told precious Jeannie where Rogue was headed either. Even though she was hoping to learn the secret from Jean's memories, it made her feel all warm and fuzzy that Jean had been denied something.  
Once she was satisfied that no one had forgotten anything, and that her CD collection was safely tucked into the truck with the other bags, Rogue turned and headed to the Professors office as he had earlier requested.  
"Rogue, please come in, I have to give you your itinerary and some other important papers that you will need while you are gone."  
"Might ya also tell mah where Ah'll be goin' to?"  
"Well I must give you your tickets and I believe you will be able to find out where from a quick perusal of them."  
"Yay." Rogue's wonderful sarcastic southern drawl made the Professor smile to himself.  
"Well here is the registration papers for the car you will be driving down there, I think you will find it satisfactory."  
Rogue glanced at the papers, and noticed one thing in particular.  
"Your givin' me a damn Corvette, are ya crazy, ya gonna let me drive a Corvette?"  
"I think you are quite responsible enough to handle it, and I think you deserve some reward for your job, don't you think?"  
"Well Ah ain't complainin'" Secretly, deep down inside Rogue got a warm, fuzzy feeling again.  
"Well then, and here is your apartment information, the information of the account I will be putting your funds in, and the papers stating that you have temporary custody over Amara and Jamie." The professor handed all the papers over as if they were nothing special, however at the words temporary custody, Rogue had uncharacteristically dropped her mouth open.  
"Ya givin' me what? Ah'm only 18! Ya given me custody a two kids?"  
"Well Rogue if they were to need medical attention or anything you would need these papers to prove that you were indeed their legal guardian, people can be very suspicious you know, especially when it comes to mutants."  
"Yeah, but still, custody, thats so big." Rogue said for lack of better words.  
"Rogue, I know you doubt your abilities to take proper care of Amara and Jamie, but I have full confidence in you, I see in you a great capacity of love, I think you just need to discover it for yourself, I have faith that you will do a great job taking care of them."  
The words love and Rogue didn't sound right to her, they sounded out of place together, through all the deceit she had been through she didn't know what care was sometimes, but rather then contemplate and wonder about it, she shoved it aside.  
"Yeah, whateva, just give me the rest of the papers, we all gotta be goin' here soon."  
The professor sighed at her obvious avoidance of the matter at hand, but he handed over the final papers, namely, the train tickets.  
  
Rogue left the office, her mind no longed caring where they were going, she didn't even look down at the tickets to read the destination.  
She went upstairs and roused both Jamie and Amara from their slumber and waited as they said their goodbyes to their friends and gathered up the last of their belongings that they wanted with them for the ride.  
She got them into the SUV, which had been warmed up by someone. Though Rogue didn't know who had the idea to turn it on so they didn't have to sit in the cold car. However, the only person around was Wolverine.  
He was working on his motorcycle, as usual, his hands were all greasy, but he wiped them on a towel before walking over to where Rogue was getting ready to get in the drivers seat.  
On the way over, he picked up a small box from a table.  
"Hey kid, have fun down there, and be careful, I don't want to have to make a trip to save your ass."  
"Ya know Ah can take care of myself."  
"Yeah, but you have to watch out for the others too, It might be hard for ya."  
Rogue began to show signs of her habitual anger at being told she might not be able to do something, a small emerald spark seemed to light in her eyes.  
"Stripes, don't get all angry, I'm just telling you how it is, be careful, and have fun."  
"Yeah, Ah will, don't worry Wolvie."  
Wolverine looked like he was going to hug her, but thought better of it, he reached into the car and placed the box he had picked up inside.  
"Just a little something for the road."  
He turned back to work on his bike, gruffly muttering a goodbye to all three of the kids about to leave.  
"Bye ta you to." Rogue smiled slightly before turning to get into the car. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the ceiling of the garage, and landed next to Rogue, pulling her into a hug before she had time to react.  
  
"Like, you though you could leave without saying bye? I'll see you Rogue, maybe I can come and visit once I get better have, fun." Kitty sneezed and quickly ran back into the house before Rogue could take vengeance for the hug.  
Finally, Rogue climbed into the drivers seat and buckled up, putting the SUV into reverse. Once she got out of the garage she realized something, and pulled out all the papers the Professor had given her. She looked down at the train tickets.  
Destination: New Orleans  
  
Was there any other place?  
  
R/r!! Sorry it took me awhile to update, I invoke the excuse of school! 


	7. Care

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, Marvel does.  
  
Rogue assumed that getting onto a train with two sick mutants would not be without incident. She expected to have to explain accidently melted door handles, or why she was suddenly watching over quadruplets (luckily the professor had bought extra tickets for this occasion).  
However, she wasn't expecting to have to practically carry Amara and Jamie onto the train.  
She expected that once they had settled into their private compartment she would have to threaten the two into silence.  
However, as soon as Jamie had arranged a blanket that Rogue threw at him he feel into an exhausted sleep. Once Amara had taken some medicine Rogue threw at her she had joined him in dreamland.  
While they both slept they actually looked kind of sweet, Rogue thought to herself. Jamie had curled into an adorable little ball, snoring lightly. Amara rester her head on her hands, her hair drifting into her eyes, she shivered slightly.  
Rogue's sharp eyes noticed the shiver and her own skin told her that it was pretty cold. She carefully got up and covered Amara with a blanket, she didn't want the girl to wake up, after all, the Rogue doesn't tuck people in.  
She started to pick up her now dried copy of the Sun Also Rises, when she glimped a shadow fly quickly across the window into the next compartment.  
Her suspicious nature overwhelmed her need to relax and she headed toward the door.  
She slowly opened it, and as soon as the barrier was moved a sound other then Jamie's snoring reached her ears.  
The shuffling of cards.  
In the corned of the nearly deserted area Rogue glimpsed the flashing of red and black as the cards were shuffled back and forth. She raised her eyes slightly and she saw another set of red and black staring up at her.  
"Aww, cherie, it's jus' like ole times, riden' in a train together."  
  
"Damn it swamp rat, do ya have to be everywhere Ah go?"  
  
"Now, now Remy knows ya ain't angry at 'im, jus' look how nice the Rogue was bein ta the petites, keepin' em all nice and warm."  
  
"Don't ya dare tell anyone Cajun." Rogue became slightly worried that someone had seen her slight display of affection, she didn't want someone to see that side of her.  
Remy's face slowly began to lapse into its more natural smirk.  
  
"Ohh Remy sense blackmail..."  
  
"Don't ya dare even think about it Gumbo!"  
  
Ignoring Rogue's obvious anger and words Remy stood up and began to pace the aisle, as if in deep thought, he put his hand and stroked the stubble of his chin, actually looking quite sexy.  
"No, Remy won' make mon cherie do somethin' she don' wanna do, yp' better then dat an' Remy a gentlemen, you jus' member that if you need anyting at all down in N'Awlins, the city can be dangerous ya know, and Remy don' want his cherie to be hurt at all." Remy remembered the last time her had manipulated her. He didn't want to invoke that wrath any more, and he meant what he said, she was better then the girls he usually went after, she didn't deserve to be used and manipulated. He wanted her to come to him and want him, he wanted it, and he didn't know why.  
  
"Promise yo' member dat cherie?"  
  
Although she was still angry, Rogue sensed his good intentions, and was rather baffled that he had actually shown genuine concern for her well being, so she let the anger slide.  
  
"Ah'll keep it in mind, swamp rat."  
  
With that said, she turned back to go check on Amara and Jamie, before she closed the door, Remy told her one more thing.  
  
"An you know, you don't have ta be embarrassed ta care about somethin', it's natural ta love."  
  
As she closed the door Rogue let his wise words sink in a little bit, and asked herself a very personal question.  
  
Maybe the Rogue could love?  
  
r/r!!! 


	8. The Way Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel characters.  
  
The temperature difference that Rogue experienced when she got off the train was one of the most orgasmic moments of her life. She had been stuck in the freezing weather of the upper Mid-Atlantic for too long, and the wave of heat and humidity that hit her when she stepped off the train reminded her of the long days she spent relaxing on Irene's shady porch as she watched the neighborhood go about its day.  
The euphoric feeling connected with her mouth muscles, forcing them up into a smile. She was too happy to check the expression, and instead just opted to give Amara and Jamie a rare chance to see how beautiful her face looked when it lit up in a smile.  
She managed to force out the last remnants of Jean's powers to make the luggage just a little bit lighter. She only gave Amara and Jamie a small bag each, since they were weak little kittens, and she didn't want to risk them losing any luggage. After all this was the city Gambit had grown up in, and she didn't know if any of his relatives were around.  
The thought of Gambit sent another unexplained spasm to her mouth muscles, forcing her smile to be a little brighter. However, she managed to hide this brightness. After all, she didn't want to frighten her two charges.  
However, she smiled on the inside. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but the fact that he genuinely seemed to care really made her feel special. She couldn't detect any dark purpose behind his concern, and she knew that he knew what it was like to be used. He was a kindred spirit, even if he was annoying at times. Like the way he always called her cherie, although she didn't mind as much when he called her "mon cherie".  
A cough from next to her snapped Rogue out of her thoughts, Jamie needed a cough drop. She reached in her pocket and pulled out some lint, some cash, a ticket stub to a concert she had gone to the week before, and a butterscotch candy. Well it wasn't exactly the best treatment, but it would help, so she gave it to him.  
He smiled his adorable little boy smile at her and she swore her heart almost melted. The south was doing wonders to Rogue.  
  
The streets of New Orleans were pretty hard to navigate, seeing as how Rogue had absolutely no sense of direction what so ever. It seemed she had been riding in her awesome Corvette with Jamie and Amara snuggled in the back for at least an hour, although according to the clock it had only been half an hour. Finally, she grew fed up with the whole affair and pulled over and whipped out a map. She rooted around for awhile to find the address of the apartments she was staying in, when she suddenly for no reason decided to look up. She looked at the people walking on the sidewalks and noticed several of them wore trench coats almost exactly like Remy. She sighed to herself, she must have moseyed her way into the thieves guild territory, though she admitted it was better then being in the assassins guild territory seeing as how she doubted Julien had forgotten her. On second thought she appeared to be a helpless teenager in a nice car. She quickly locked the doors, and began to examine her map.  
However, she realized she had no idea how to read it.  
"Damn it, Ah hate mah sense of direction! Do either of ya'll know how ta read maps?" She questioned the two in the back, when she got no answer she turned around and saw that they were both sleeping again.  
"Great, Ah'm all alone."  
However, a tap on her window proved otherwise as she looked up into a smiling pair of red and black eyes. She seriously wanted to know why he was everywhere she went.  
  
"Cherie, you come and see me? Or are you all jus' lost?" His Cajun accent seemed thicker now that he was around people who spoke back in it.  
  
"Well Ah certainly ain't here ta see you swamp rat, so ya mind tellin' me how to get ta mah new home?" Hopefully not all was lost, if he was as great a thief as he said he was he would know every corner of New Orleans, including the one her apartment was on.  
  
"Let Remy see the address, and he see if he can help ya'll out, although Remy love for you to stay wit him cherie."  
  
Before he could continue, Rogue thrust the paper where she had scribbled the address on, and shot him a glare while doing so, and she strengthened the glare when he let out a warm laugh.  
  
"What's so damn funny about me bein' lost Cajun?"  
  
"Nothin' mon cherie, jus' that you parked right in front of the place you be stayin', a by lookin' at the apartment number ole Remy notice you right across the hall from 'im."  
  
Sighing, Rogue rested her head on the steering wheel as she turned the car off, and pulled the emergency break. This was going to be a long month.  
  
"Now, come on Cherie, at leas' I can help ya bring all dis stuff up, and guarantee dat no tief steal from dis car as long as it parked right here."  
  
Slowly Rogue began to smirk, as if she stole the smirk right off Gambit's face he began to frown. She was up to something he thought. And he was right, with Gambit right across the hall, she could make him her own personal slave...somehow.  
  
r/r! 


	9. Good Morning Fluff

Disclaimer: I still do not own.  
  
Rogue had never been much of a morning person at the institute. In fact her reputation for doing bodily harm to others in the morning had grown widely throughout the institute. However, when she woke up early the first day in New Orleans, she was pleasantly happy. She jumped right out of bed, got out some frozen waffles for the kiddies, and even got dressed. Sort of. Then, in a moment of inspiration she decided to see if any mail had arrived. So she left the apartment to go to the lobby area, where the mail boxes were kept. When she got there she had a sudden desire to get up early every single morning, at least for the next month. There in front of the mailboxes, was the form of Remy Lebeau, for once without his trench coat, and only wearing a pair of comfy looking pants. Rogue's eyes traveled over his lean body and sexy back, down to his lovely derriere. Never had she been greeted with such a pleasant sight in the morning.  
Suddenly, Remy turned around and when he saw Rogue without her makeup, and her locks framing her angelic face, he broke into a characteristic smirk.  
  
"Well, bonjour mon cherie, such a lov'ly sight ta see in da mornin', wit such a belle smile on yo face."  
  
Realizing that the sight of Remy had brought another smile to her face, Rogue quickly covered it up with a scowl. She had been smiling far too much lately.  
  
"Shut up swamp rat, it's too early in the damn mornin' ta have ta listen' ta you."  
  
With that she quickly turned around, without the mail, and went upstairs, unwittingly giving Remy a sight equal to what he had given her earlier. However, as she got back in the elevator, and the doors closed after her, she couldn't help but smile again as she recalled the morning greeting.  
  
A/N: I feel horrible, after all this time and I am only giving you all a poor excuse for a chapter! I am sorry a million times. I don't know what I want to do with this story! Do you want more fluff? More plot? Problems? Romance? Tell me!!! Please!!!!!!!!!! 


	10. Worries

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel characters, and as the X-Men are Marvel characters, I do not own them. Darn the luck.  
  
Once Rogue managed to recover from her obvious pleasure of seeing Remy half-Naked she decided the best thing she could do to put the incident behind her would be to take a small tour of the city. She needed to buy groceries, and medicine, and an assortment of other things that Amara and Jamie had been shouting to her from their beds.  
Lucky buggers, getting to stay in their beds all day, while she had to be subjected to extremely sexy bodies. Since arriving in New Orleans the day before, the two hadn't really left their rooms except to go the bathroom. They hadn't even really left their beds. In fact they didn't make much noise at all, they slept most of the day. At the Institute they hadn't slept all day, just most of it. They always had some energy to be annoying or loud, or something. Suddenly a wave of fear hit Rogue, what if the virus was getting worse? What if it really was targeting mutants? What if her lack or constant care meant that Jamie and Amara would never recover? Before she knew what she was doing she rushed into Jamie's room, who after all was younger, and more adorable. She saw that he was sleeping, which of course worried her. She then remembered that he hadn't accidently made any multiples lately. This of course furthered her fear that the virus only affected mutants. She noticed that his arm had fallen out of the blankets. In another impulsive move she carefully lifted his arm with her glover- covered hand and tucked it back underneath the covers. Then, it seemed natural that she brushed his sandy hair out of his eyes. In one quick eye motion she saw that he had enough water, medicine, tissues and foods to last while she was gone. She quickly exited the room, trying to push her worries and musings as to why she suddenly cared so much into the back of her mind. She glanced into Amara's room and saw that everything was ok with her, then she put on her shoes, grabbed her keys and went out to forget her worries by occupying herself with more parental duties. No wonder Wolverine was going soft.  
  
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"Charles, I am glad you have come, and I am also glad you have come Dr. McCoy." Magneto greeted his ideological enemies warmly, even though he had a somewhat tight smile on his face.  
"Magnus, it is good to see you, especially in good health." The Professor's face also couldn't hide his true feelings, his eyes revealed the worry he felt for all his students.  
  
Unlike the two old friends however, the so-called Beast knew it was not the time for pleasantries, and chose to avoid them by getting right down to business. "Magnus, Charles, it is not exactly on pleasant terms that we have gathered, we should begin immediately with comparing our notes and beginning our research."  
  
Although the two older men did not speak, Magneto turned and began to lead the group through his many hallways and passages. As they walked they heard severe coughing coming from one of the rooms.  
Magneto stopped to explain.  
"This is where I am keeping Piotr in isolation, I brought him here as soon as I could, which is why Remy and St. John did not get the virus as well, and of course Victor's healing protected him."  
  
As the coughing grew more intense, the trio's faces grew more determined, for although they had different ideas on how to treat the normal humans in society, they all gelt the irrevocable need to protect their fellow mutants from any threat.  
Quickly, and with great determination, the men headed into the laboratory to hopefully bring an end to the mysterious disease.  
  
A/n: I once again profusely apologize for my updating, or lack thereof. I continue to appreciate my reviewers, and a thank you to Anime-Freak for the idea, I thought of a good way to work it into the plot! Thank you!  
  
P.S. Review, please!!! 


	11. Light My Fire

Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, don't you think I would using my plot lines to make a comic book, or an episode?  
  
The difference between walking down a street in New Orleans, and walking down a street in Bayville was divine. Bayville was cold, filled with people who hated her, and very boring. New Orleans was deliciously warm, filled with strangers, and something interesting was around every corner. Rogue strolled up and down the streets before she even began to her search for some sort of pharmacy of grocery store. Finally, however, she could no longer put off the nagging protectiveness she secretly felt for her teammates back at "home", and decided she ought to finish her errands so she could try to force feed them a piece of toast for dinner.  
After a few more blocks of walking, Rogue finally found a small pharmacy, conveniently next to what looked like a grocery store, she took note of the street name for further reference, and went in to buy various medicines. She came out a half an hour later, with a small bag filled with cough syrups, pain reducers, fever reducers, cough drops and other assortments. The pharmacist probably thought she was a druggee. Oh well.  
Next Rogue ventured into the grocery store, simultaneously pulling out her handy dandy list of goods and cursing the fact she had to have a list. The two operations proved to much for her, because only a few feet into the store, she abruptly ran into a rather fleshy obstacle. Naturally, her characteristic scowl fell into place as she looked up at the "offending" invader of her personal space. Of course, because after all Rogue had no luck in the world (or all the luck, depending on how you look at it), she was looking straight into a pair of demonic eyes.  
Before so much as a charming syllable could slip out of the Cajun's mouth Rogue groaned and began to walk over to some vegetables, knowing that he would follow her all the way home. A journey which of course take twice as long with him tagging along.  
  
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Back at the apartment, a slight noise broke the thick silence that had settled over the rooms since Rogue's departure.  
Amara had suddenly awoken from her nap, and the pain from her sickness had suddenly hit her full force. She felt ten times worse then she did on the cruise ship, and she knew she wasn't that far away from land. She felt cold all over, and as weak as a kitten. She called out to Rogue, but no one answered.  
Calling out again, Amara realized that her caretaker must have gone shopping.  
"I feel horrible, someone help me!" She moaned out into the air, knowing full well only Jamie could possibly hear her and he couldn't help much. With the little bit of energy she had, Amara tried to go into her Magma form, thinking it might help. However, with all her concentration she couldn't even transform her fingers.  
Her sickness was making her so cold though. She was used to always being warm because of her mutation. Her teeth began chattering, and she snuggled more tightly into the blankets, trying to find some warmth.  
  
A block or two away an orange-haired boy was running down the street, from the direction of the train station. He was muttering something about finally finding his flame, and escaping the close watch of a cat like creature, which naturally confused everyone he passed. However, when he got in front of a certain building his face broke into a maniacal grin, and he stepped inside. He took the elevator, and took advantage of the time to take out a silver Zippo lighter. When the doors dinged open he found the right room, and very carefully picked the lock, thanking his friend the thief for teaching him one thing. He stepped inside the room, and heard as a certain Amara called for help again. She still hadn't expected any answer, which is precisely the reason she nearly jumped out of her skin when an Australian accent answered her back.  
  
"Don't worry luv, I said I'd light your fire!"  
  
With that a lovely fiery blanket wrapped up Amara tightly and she was able to fall back asleep.  
  
A/N: Not a very good chapter, but I had to get it out for better ones to come. I am not very good at writing Amyro, but I am trying, please give me any suggestions to improve the loving of the fiery twosome. Please give me any reviews at all. 


	12. Rescue

Disclaimer: I do not own these Marvel characters, or the cereals mentioned.  
  
Oatmeal, Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran and Coco Puffs (for Jamie). Bread, eggs, milk and butter. Chicken nuggets, stir-fry and green beans. Her list was endless. Who ever thought shopping for three people could be so hard?  
Of course, most people didn't have an annoying swamp-rap tagging along, occasionally throwing an unhealthy snack into the cart, or tucking it into his trench coat. It seemed as though Rogue had been in the store for hours, either trying to figure out which loaf of bread she should buy or trying to find Jamie's favorite juice. The long trip even seemed to be wearing down the normally energetic Cajun. He didn't seem to quite fit in the grocery store setting. Though of course he looked just fine in the fluorescent lighting.  
"How much more do you need cherie? Remy don' think jus' three of ya need all dis food"  
"Hey, no one said you had ta come, Ah would be just fine if you left."  
"Now come on Cherie, how could Remy leave such a belle all alone?"  
"Easy, just walk out tha damn door!"  
"Now Remy know yo don' mean dat."  
Rogue was too busy scowling at Remy's smirk to pay attention to where she was going, or to hear what was going on around her. However, Remy's acute senses picked up on the disturbance the next aisle down.  
  
"Get the hell outta my store you mutie freak! I ain't gonna feed your freak ass!"  
  
The two mutants eyes widened as they turned the corner to see a man kicking a person in the stomach. The young girl couldn't have been no more than 12, yet the man continued to assault her. Rogue's eyes quickly clouded over at the injustice, and her eyes became as sharp as two finely cut gems. Before Remy could stop her she had abandoned her cart and ran over to the man. She didn't even say a word as she kicked him hard in the back, with a move learned from the lethal Wolverine.  
The sudden attack forced the man to stop his torture and focus on the deadlier mutant behind him.  
  
"What the hell are you doing? You some fucking mutie lover? Get the hell outta my store before I make you pay girl!" The man roared in Rogue's face, however his rage did nothing to diminish the death glare that came from her eyes.  
  
"No, Ah ain't a mutie lover, Ah am a mutant, and Ah suggest you stop hurtin' that poor girl before Ah kick you into next week!" Though small, Rogue was famous for her anger, and you could tell that the fierceness in which she delivered her lines discouraged the man slightly. However, he was too stupid too just leave it alone, instead he had the audacity to raise his uncovered hand to Rogue and attempt to backslap her.  
Though she was ready for the attack, the arm never made contact with her, because before it could land it was intercepted by the agile Gambit, whose demonic eyes burned with Hell's fury that someone could raise a hand to his Cherie.  
"Monsieur, yo mama should have taught yo better than to hurt a lady, especially when dat lady be Remy's." With that Gambit grabbed the man's shirt and began to charge it, the ferocity of the charge matched the glowing in his eyes. Of course, the man was scared beyond his wildest nightmares. Not just because of the demon eyes, the explosive shirt, or the fierce words, but because he knew that face. He knew who Gambit was when he was in New Orleans. He had just pissed off the prince of Thieves, and the son of Jean-Luc. His store was deep in Thieves Guild territory. Well, after this it wouldn't be his store anymore.  
  
"Now, you let these ladies leave dis place, wit all their food, 'den we will continue dis conversation later."  
  
The man furiously nodded his head, and Gambit uncharged his shirt, then he transferred the energy into a nearby display, just to scare the man a little more. With that, he picked up the small mutant girl who lay crying on the floor and wrapped his arm around Rogue, not to protect her, but to protect the world from her wrath. In her passion she didn't even realize the move, and let him lead her outside with all her groceries.  
  
Luckily Remy had his car parked only across the street, and after he had packed Rogue and the injured the girl into the car, and the food in the truck, he took off towards his fathers home, where he knew the girl could get medical attention from either his Tante Mattie, or one of the physicians his father hired. He didn't trust that a hospital would take proper care of the mutant.  
  
He looked in the rearview mirror, to see the nameless girl had curled herself into Rogues arms, much like Jamie did. Rogue had carefully made sure she was entirely covered before rubbing the girls back and simultaneously checking for wounds. The little girl's shirt was covered in blood, and she was hacking violently, in a manner much like Amara and Jamie, tears stained her face, and her hair was dirty and knotty. She looked as though she hadn't had much to eat for a good while. Though he didn't know her name, or even her mutant power. Remy silently swore to himself that he would take the best care of her, especially when he saw a tear roll down Rogue's face for the girl.  
  
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I am sorry it has been ages since I last updated, I haven't had much time to concentrate on this story, and I don't feel as though it is developing as well as I would like it too. Any reviews would be greatly appreciated! 


	13. New Developments

Disclaimer: I do not own these lovely characters.  
  
By the time they reached the LeBeau estate Rogue's shirt was stained with dried blood. She felt covered by it, and every drop she saw she blamed herself for.  
She had forgotten what it was like being scared and entirely alone. Though she had countless fears and invisible pains at Xavier's Institute, its high walls protected her, and its teachers trained her to protect herself. The little girl in her arms had no such luxury, not only was she exposed to the wind and the rain, she also had to take the brunt of anti- mutant hysteria.  
Lucky Rogue and Remy had found her, the child had slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing she remembered was demonic eyes watching over her. The strangeness gave her comfort, she knew only the unusual could ever accept her. She was a freak of nature, a devil-child. The man who she saw could have been her unholy father.  
The people always told her that her mother must have been seduced by a demon to have such a wretched child. Of course, her saintly mommy must have been tricked into it, because she was so good and always gave donations to the church and baked pies for the nice ladies. She never baked a pie for her daughter though.  
She was dreaming about the ladies now. She remembered how they made her sit in a chair and read the Bible so that God wouldn't strike her down. She remembered for they hit her with the cross and called her a demon because she cried when it hit. Only the evil fear the cross.  
Remy had desperately been trying to wake the girl from her dangerous slumber when she began to whimper and thrash in his arms. He could feel her fear through his empathetic walls.  
Even through the onslaught of emotion he could hear the child cry out that she wasn't a demon. His sympathy took on a whole new level as he remembered being accused of the same thing as a child. So many had called him Satan's child, or Satan incarnate. He quickened his pace towards his Tante's rooms, all the while trying to prod the girl into consciousness and wishing he hadn't sent Rogue to the backyard to see if she could seek out anyone. She had a better chance navigating the open area than the complex hallways of his home. Not to mention the fact that he felt she needed to be away from the injured girl. The look in her eyes had been almost frightening as she gazed at the girl's wounds in sadness.  
Finally, his prodding paid off as the girl emerged from her nightmare and opened her eyes to him. He looked down and suddenly stopped, he was shocked as the girl's eyes flashed red on black before fading into emerald. A tear nearly slipped down his own face as hers began to water from the pain. He quickly began his race to his Tante. As he arrived the door was already opening, and the woman that emerged smiled warmly at the boy she considered a son, thinking he decided to pay a long overdue visit home. Then she caught sight of the form in his arms. The blood and bruises caused her entire body to become rigid as her eyes hardened. She assumed control of the situation by wordlessly taking the girl into her own arms and turning back into her rooms. It was going to be a long evening.  
  
Meanwhile, Rogue sought out extra help in Remy's massive "backyard". She had already searched the pool and massive porch, with no luck. She stopped to scan around her, taking some notice of the breathtaking trees that edged the bayou. She could see no others enjoying the view. She was sure someone would have to be out there. The weather was lovely, despite the grim events that had engulfed it.  
Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind, and before her mind could even process the action a very sharp blade was pressed firmly against her delicate (yet deadly) throat. She could tell that the perpetrator was unknowingly protected by a pair of leather gloves. As the man gripped her even tighter she realized he was entirely covered by a trench coat, similar to Remy's. His clothes, tight hold on her, and lethally poised weapon blocked off all her options of escape. All she could do was internally panic as she felt breath in her ear, accompanied by a voice.  
"What's a belle femme like ya doin' on t'ieves guild territory? Don' yo' kno' it don' matter if ya belle... we still won' let you walk away."  
His words were punctuated by a single line of increased pressure on her throat.  
  
AN: I'm sorry I am horrid at updating, and when I do update, it is always short chapters. Forgive me and review so I know there is still interest! 


	14. Lethal Games

Disclaimer: Do not own and such.  
  
After his Tante had whisked the child into her care, it became quite apparent that Remy was pretty much useless. Though he had the skilled hands of a master thief, they were quite useless when it came to finding the proper medical supplies. She had called for the official doctor that Remy's father kept on the premises for emergencies, and then ordered Remy to go find someone who knew more about healing, preferably a female. Deciding to find Rogue, after all being emotionally wrecked and lost wasn't a good combination, he headed towards the back of the house.  
He paused a moment once he stepped outside, taking a minute to let some of the stress flow from his shoulders. He closed his eyes, intending to repair his empathy shields, figuring he would be a better asset to the girl if he was leveled off inside. Usually, the process only took a half a moment, but during that time he had to completely open himself to all the people even remotely nearby. The peaceful sounds of the bayou helped him to cope with the sudden force of emotions, so he felt as though this was the best time to do it.  
He took a deep breath and let his walls fall down. Normally, he would immediately raise them back into their perfected forms, but before he could a flood of fear shot into him like an red-hot arrow, and practically incinerated his control. His eyes flung open, revealing an unearthly glow that burned through the sun's cheerful rays. The feeling of fear wrapped him like a blanket, and normally such a powerful force of emotion would have left him at it's mercy. However, he felt where the fear radiated from, and the source gave him his own more powerful feeling-wrath.  
  
The blade across her throat began to dig into her skin, and she could feel a slight trickle of blood flow free from the slight cut it created. However, her assailant seemed to have a deep sense of maliciousness. He hadn't outright slit her throat yet, he apparently preferred to torture her a bit.  
As she gasped for air, he removed the blade from her throat for a second, and with an evil smirk flipped it along her throat, so that the sharp blade would press into her every few inches, only leaving a faint line of red where it hit.  
She took the split-second of freedom from the blade every time he turned it by quickly beginning a struggle that temporarily granted her the use of her arms. She grabbed the man's forearms to tear them away from her throat, but her outburst had no rewards for he was stronger then her, and quickly managed to pin her arms to her side.  
He pressed the blade back into her throat, eliciting a gasp of pain as another trickle of blood ran down her throat. She wished he would just get it over and cut deeper, rather than play these games with her.  
"Belle, don' you kno' betta than ta fight moi? It ain' gonna do you no good, might as well jus' accept yo' fate."  
While he spoke the last words that Rogue thought she would ever hear he grabbed her forehead with his arm and used it to press her head onto his shoulder. The action forced her throat to arch, causing the blade to deepen its penetration. The blood flowed more freely now, though the blade had not yet punctured any major arteries.  
The man pulled the blade from her throat and held his arm across her, clearly intending to end her life with a quick slice to her throat. Though, she was looking up, Rogue darter her eyes to all sides, desperately looking for something or someone who could help her. She felt tears slip down her throat, though she wasn't aware of crying, she felt slightly disconnected from the world, as if all her senses were dulled by the drone of her impending doom.  
  
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I wonder how many chapters I can make a cliffhanger last... 


	15. Love is Blind

Disclaimer: I do not own the lovely X-Men or other affiliated characters. Though it would be lovely...  
  
In blind rage Remy had lithely sprinted in the direction from which he felt Rogue's fear, praying that he was fast enough to prevent tragedy while simultaneously damning the offending thief to a world of pain.  
He turned a corner around a trellis and was nearly destroyed by what met his eyes. A stream of blood ran down his Rogue's neck, the contrast against her pale white skin sickened him.  
What sickened him more though was the recognition of the hang that held the knife-his own brother, Henri.  
On some level he processed the fact that his brother was threatening Rogue, but that level wasn't entirely conscious. The thought soon passed, and all that was left was the hand holding the blade to Rogue. He moved like lightning to free her from Death's grasp, pulling her to him and then gently lowering her to the ground as the collapsed into his arms.  
The blood on her throat caused the wrath in his veins to pump harder, filling his eyes with anger and hatred, causing them to burn like Hell.  
Henri's eyes widened when he looked into the glowing eyes of his brother, not until now realizing why some called him a devil. At this moment, they turned demonic, he could find no trace of his only sibling in them.  
His fear mounted as Remy quickly overcame him, and swiftly began to pummel him ruthlessly, not even stopping as blood began to cover his fists. Henri fell to the ground, entirely at the mercy of the animalistic Remy. However, without his empathetic walls Remy was entirely at the mercy at the powerful emotions all around his. Rogue's fear, Henri's fear, and his own anger built up inside him and crashed through his body, the earlier feelings he felt in regards to the small girl who still lay in pain crashed along with it. All the emotions were too much for his empathy to handle and he suddenly stopped his barrage of attacks as he succumbed to the intensity by falling unconsciously over his brothers bleeding form. His eyes glancing at his bloodied cherie before closing.  
Though both Rogue and Remy had fallen into another world, Henri still managed to stay awake through the onslaught. When his brother had fallen he seemed to have snapped out of a daze that had begun when he found an intruder near his family. Knowing the Assassin's Guild had recently stepped up their activities, even being bold enough to verbally threaten Clan LeBeau, he had shown no mercy, fearing that she was after his son and wife. His need to protect them clouded his judgement, forcing him into a violent and disturbing role. He had uncharacteristically threatened the intruder without any decency or humanity. Much like the way Remy had attacked him. He now realized that the girl was no intruder, the intensity of the way his brother protected her showed a deep affection.  
Thinking of the girl made him realize that she laid not two feet away, silently bleeding to death from his own hands. He fought off his brothers body, barely, and managed to crawl to the girl, though he could barely feel his extremities. He tore off part of his shirt and gently, and firmly wrapped it around her neck to form a compression bandage to stop the blood. Luckily, he had not had a chance to cut her too deeply. The bandage worked, and before he passed out himself, he had the presence of mind to push a small button on the communicator in his pocket to call for help.  
  
None other than Jean-Luc heard the sound of distress coming from his own communicator. He quickly retrieved it from his pocket and saw that it was coming from the backyard. Only his family used this method, and he realized that both of his sons were out there. Henri and patrol and Remy on a mission to find help for the mystery girl he had brought in.  
His paternal instincts kicked in, and he followed the same path Remy had taken earlier to the location.  
What he was surprised, and frightened him. Both sons passed out. One with a bloody face, and the other with a bloody hand. He tried not to draw conclusions, but he couldn't help wondering what could have driven one son to attack the other. That's when he noticed the vaguely familiar girl lying on the ground near them, her neck wrapped in blood-tinted bandages that matched his eldest's shirt, and nearby laid a knife he recognized as also belonging to his eldest.  
He checked both sons for a pulse, and was relieved when he found them. He then flew into action by quickly making bandaged out of torn clothing for his son.  
Meanwhile, behind him Remy stirred from the storm in his minds. He had been able to rebuild his barriers since he had gone under, and was ready to face the world again. He saw his father bending over his brother, he then realized that he had been the cause of them, though he only vaguely remembered being in a haze during it.  
He then saw Rogue, and his thoughts of her overwhelmed him again. He scooped her into his arms, gladly noticing signs of her waking. He fingered the bandages on her throat and looked questioningly at his father, wondering why he would have helped her before his son, though he was glad for it.  
Jean-Luc looked back at him puzzled, "De were already dere, must a been Henri."  
Though confused by his brothers behavior, and even more confused by his own, he was simply content for the moment to lift Rogue closer to him and hold her close to his heart.  
  
Look no cliffhanger!! Yay! Though you might wonder how the little girl is doing, or how Jamie and Amara are doing, or if a cure has been found yet....  
  
~I know Jean-Luc is a little OOC, but I decided to portray him in a better light, I thought it would make more sense if he wasn't a jerk since Remy is still there and such.  
  
a/n: Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I shall try to not leave you in anticipation! 


	16. A depth of Love

Disclaimer: Don't own.  
  
The girl was cleaned, disinfected, stitched, bandaged, and heavily medicated. She slept peacefully now, on an ocean of soft cottons and feathery pillows. Though she had coughing fits every few minutes, she never woke up out of her drug-induced slumber.  
Her fever ran high, worrying those watching over her. The doctor had examined her and analyzed her blood, but could not find any positive indicators of any known diseases. Which led him to the conclusion that the girl did indeed contract the mysterious disease that had plagued mutants as of late. This worried him. The disease had no known causes, or cures, or treatments. Luckily, it also had no known deaths. He mused on reasons for the disease, but his limited knowledge of the X-Gene didn't allow him a full view of the problem. He was roused out of his aimless musings though, before he got to tied up in his thoughts, by the sound a heavy footfall coming down the corridor.  
This was an unusual sound for the Thieve's Guild mansion, considering most of the residents were well-trained in the art of secrecy and stealth. It could only mean one thing, someone was carrying something of considerable weight. Or someone, which was more likely since they were heading in his (the Doctor's) direction.  
With a sigh, he stood up and wiped his hands off on his already bloodied coat. He went to open the door, just in time for Remy to come charging through with a pretty young girl with peculiar white stripes, and closely followed by Jean-Luc dragging a disheveled, and unconscious Henri.  
Laying them both on flat surfaces, the two healthy men stared at the doctor expectantly, and then searched for Tante Mattie.  
The doctor pointed to the rocking chair where she was resting, and with a devilish grin, Remy went to wake her up while the doctor evaluated the injured and decided that Henri probably needed primary attention.  
The boy's face was covered with blood and bruises, not to mention it looked as though his left arm was broken. Promptly, he silenced himself from the rest of the group, and began his work.  
A feather under Mattie's nose always woke her up with a start, a fact that Remy had known from the age of 10. Though he had no feather, he used a small bit of string to get the tickling effect. Mattie's eyes sprung open immediately, but for once Remy had an excuse handy, and pointed to Rogue before Mattie could even get a word of anger out. She did, however, manage a glare before going to the hurt Rogue and inspecting her bandages and wounds.  
  
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A few hours later, Rogue awoke as a patch of light flitted across her eyes. She groggily opened them up, and after adjusting to the onslaught of light glimpsed a certain Cajun dancing the light from a flashlight into her eyes. She sat up quickly, intending to beat him over the head with the light, but was stopped from the sudden slice of pain across her neck. She reached up quickly to grab her neck, but only succeeded in irritating the wound more as the gauze that covered it moved across it.  
It took her a moment, but she soon remembered the cause of the pain- her run-in with the man in the backyard. She looked at Remy with a fearful look on her eyes, not knowing that the man had been discovered to be his brother.  
He ran to her side in gliding sort of way he had from being a thief- as if he had just magically appeared there. Putting his arm around the middle of her back, he bent down and whispered in her ear (so as to not bother the other patients), "Shhh, cherie, its alright, no one's gonna hurt y' 'long as Remy is here."  
Briefly, a look of comfort eased her fearful face, and Remy relaxed, knowing she felt safe in his arms.  
The look soon passed however, as she caught sight of the man lying in the bed next to her. She barely recognized the face, as she had only seen it in a flash, but it registered as the man who had attacked her.  
Her eyes enlarge again, and she tensed up her body, in a whispered voice, she told Remy,"That's him, he attacked me, What's he doin' here?"  
  
"Chere, calm down, its Remy's brother, Henri, he didn' mean to attack ya, he jus' thought y' were an assassin." Remy tried to calm her by smoothing her soft hair between his fingers, but his words only seemed to aggravate her further.  
  
"He's your brother, then why is he all beat up, is there someone else out there?"  
  
"No, cherie, Remy did dat to him, he saw what he done to y', and fel' yo' pain, and Remy jus' lost control."  
  
Still, his words didn't calm her. Instead they left her with a sick feeling in her stomach. Remy had beaten up his brother, because he was to mad to see who it was, over her. Over her. He had lost control. Control wasn't something Rogue could ever lose.  
Constant vigilance to her powers and proximity were required at all times. Nothing could change that, not even love.  
Love. Why did she think of love? Did Remy love her? He had to have to do that to his brother. Love made people do crazy things, and Rogue never wanted to do crazy things like that.  
She was officialy freaked out by the example of deep emotion. Naturally, she ran, leaving Remy both stupefied, and hurt, she ran out of the mansion and into the looming night.  
Behind her, demon eyes dulled to a depressing color.  
  
a/n: Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	17. Painful Contemplations

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men.  
  
A/N: I wasn't happy with the last two chapters, so I decided to take them off and redo them a little differently. I hope you like the new way better (it would be great if you gave me some reviews to tell me, hint, hint).  
  
It was around midnight when Rogue finally slammed through the door to her new apartment after wandering the streets of New Orleans for awhile contemplating her hopeless relationships and feelings. She loved Remy, and she knew it, whether or not she chose to admit it, but at the same time the thought of giving him her heart frightened her more then the thought of a mutant-hating mob storming the mansion.  
She was afraid it would be the same old song and dance of letting someone into her heart so that they could rip it apart from the inside. Like Irene, Mystique, her nameless biological parents, the Brotherhood, and some of the X-Men.  
She knew that the walls around her heart would protect her just like the walls around the Institute. They would keep all the baddies out, but they could also keep out some of the good people. If Kurt had hidden behind the walls, he never would have met Amanda. Then again, if Rogue had stayed behind the walls she never would have had to deal with the Cajun.  
It was this question that kept her wandering around New Orleans famous streets until her feet were ready to call a mutiny, and she decided she would probably want to return to her duties and check on the mutants she had left at home.  
She had taken Remy's car when she fled his home, so she still had her groceries with her. She mindlessly packed them away while trying to avoid the knowledge that she would have to face the red-eyed Cajun sooner or later, since he usually lived across the hallway.  
Finally, she decided to check on her charges, starting with Jamie since she knew his cute little face would help cheer her up a little. He was too cute to hurt her.  
She slowly opened his door, and smiled to see with breathing softly against his pillow in a deep sleep. She noticed he had a pile of tissues on the floor, and seemed to be out of fresh ones, so she retrieved a new box from what she deemed the medicine closet, and placed them within easy reaching distance. A quick survey informed her that her lil' Jamie was all sorts of taken care of, and as usual required no annoyance on her part.  
The next room was another matter. She said a quick prayer that Amara was sleeping before very quietly opening the door and peering inside. At first, she thought all was well, as she had her eyes closed, and she could only hear the interior of the room. Then a somewhat disturbing sound reached her ears.  
  
"St. John, Pyro, where are you?" A dreaming Amara spoke out in her sleep, causing Rogue to open both eyes immediately and scan the room for any signs of the fiery Aussie.  
Unfortunatly she found one, the dark smoke marks on Amara's ceiling, over top her bed.  
  
"Keep me warm, Pyro, you let me get cold."  
  
Sighing, the Rogue understood that the maniac had probably paid the girl a visit and treated her to his powers. Taking pity on her, she covered her up with a few extra blankets until she curled up into them contentedly.  
This, Rogue thought, is why I can't fall in love. Just when I get comfortable, somebody will leave me, and I'll be cold and alone again.  
Shutting off the light switch, Rogue left the room without considering that being in the fire for only a few minutes might be better then never feeling the warmth at all.  
  
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A few miles away Remy LeBeau was staring into the darkness, idly listening to the steadied breathing of the little girl, and contemplating his situation with Rogue.  
He could understand her reluctance, he knew what it felt like to be burned by the ones you loved most. He only wished that he could lead her out of the walls that she built up around her and show her how good things could be without the menacing stone staring back at you every time you looked around. Though he could understand the safety of walls.  
If there had been walls around him as a child he might never have had to look into the faces of those who called with evil. If their had been safe walls around the little girl who lay before him, she might never have had to feel the pain of being hurt for being born a different way.  
  
Then again he would have never had found her, and would never be wondering why the hell her eyes looked like his in a flash. Then again, if never met her, he never would have known he should be wondering. It was a very confusing business.  
Rather then be confused about the little girl, his mind automatically tuned into Rogue, and the confusing business that came with her. He loved her, he obviously had to admit that.  
His reaction to her earlier crisis had surprised even himself. He never would have though he would allow himself to show such emotion. However, it made him feel strangely liberated and alive. He no longer had to worry about her reactions, and how to deal with his feelings. He had put himself out there, and now only had to wait for her.  
He suspected that it was good that he had been forced into the situation by his subconscious, otherwise the two would have run circles around each other forever, without ever stopping to realize that they could be together. Of course, they would have to overcome a lot, namely her insecurity when it came to her mutation. He was confident they would overcome. If only she could climb outside her shell and stand in the sun with him.  
Meanwhile, he forcefully turned his attention away from her emerald green eyes back to the thoughts of the little girls flashes of red-on-black eyes. It puzzled him. Where did she come from?  
  
A/N: Well, I hoped you enjoyed the re-write and are asking yourselves such questions as Who is the little girl? Will Rogue give in to Remy? With Pyro come back? What are the scientists doing with the mutant virus? If you are, you could send me some reviews!!! Please? Pretty please? 


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